Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-8bhkd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-09T09:07:51.990Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

A Caveat on Radiocarbon Dating of Organic-Poor Bulk Lacustrine Sediments in Arid China

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 July 2016

Shi-Yong Yu*
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, CAS, Xi'an 710075, China Large Lakes Observatory, University of Minnesota Duluth, 2205 E. 5th Street, Duluth, Minnesota 55812, USA
Peng Cheng
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, CAS, Xi'an 710075, China
Zhanfang Hou
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, CAS, Xi'an 710075, China
*
3. Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]; [email protected].

Abstract

Characterized by a dry climate, the arid area of China represents a unique landscape. A proper understanding of the driving mechanisms behind the changes of this ecologically vulnerable landscape requires placing the instrumental records within a geological context. Lakes in this area bear rich information about past climatic and environmental changes presumably regulated by the westerlies at various timescales. The lacustrine records obtained in this area heavily rely on radiocarbon ages, which are usually subject to the temporal and spatial variability of the 14C reservoir effect. Yet, little is known about the 14C reservoir age of lacustrine systems in this area. This study reports an anomalously large 14C reservoir age of about 11,000 ± 2000 yr from a saline lake in NW China by comparing 14C and OSL chronologies. The modeling study suggests that this age offset appears to be an inherent phenomenon in lacustrine systems, which mainly arises from the introduction of pre-aged organic matter from the catchment and the conversion of 14C-depleted dissolved inorganic carbon to organic matter by photosynthesis. Compared to the large age offset induced by the 14C-dcficient exogenous carbon, the reservoir effect due to retention of organic matter in the lake water appears to be inconsequential. The results reveal the pitfall of 14C dating on organic-poor bulk lacustrine sediments in this barren landscape, and thus highlight the need for alternate dating methods to constrain the chronology of lacustrine records.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © 2014 by the Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

An, C-B, Feng, Z-D, Barton, L. 2006. Dry or humid? Mid-Holocene humidity changes in arid and semi-arid China. Quaternary Science Reviews 25(3):351–61.Google Scholar
Chen, F, Shi, Q, Wang, J-M. 1999. Environmental changes documented by sedimentation of Lake Yiema in arid China since the Late Glaciation. Journal of Paleolimnology 22(2):159–69.Google Scholar
Chen, F, Zhu, Y, Li, J, Shi, Q, Jin, L, Wünemann, B. 2001. Abrupt Holocene changes of the Asian monsoon at millennial- and centennial-scales: evidence from lake sediment document in Minqin Basin, NW China. Chinese Science Bulletin 46(23):1942–7.Google Scholar
Chen, F, Wu, W, Holmes, J, Madsen, D, Zhu, Y, Jin, M, Oviatt, C. 2003. A mid-Holocene drought interval as evidenced by lake desiccation in the Alashan Plateau, Inner Mongolia China. Chinese Science Bulletin 48(14):1401–10.Google Scholar
Chen, F, Cheng, B, Zhao, Y, Zhu, Y, Madsen, DB. 2006. Holocene environmental change inferred from a high-resolution pollen record, Lake Zhuyeze, arid China. The Holocene 16(5):675–84.Google Scholar
Chen, F, Yu, Z, Yang, M, Ito, E, Wang, S, Madsen, DB, Huang, X, Zhao, Y, Sato, T, Birks, JB, Boomer, I, Chen, J, An, CB, Wünnemann, B. 2008. Holocene moisture evolution in arid central Asia and its out-of-phase relationship with Asian monsoon history. Quaternary Science Reviews 27(3):351–64.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Feng, Z-D, An, C, Wang, H. 2006. Holocene climatic and environmental changes in the arid and semi-arid areas of China: a review. The Holocene 16(1):119–30.Google Scholar
Fontes, J-C, Melieres, F, Gibert, E, Qing, L, Gasse, F. 1993. Stable isotope and radiocarbon balances of two Tibetan lakes (Sumxi Co, Longmu Co) from 13,000 BP. Quaternary Science Reviews 12(10):875–87.Google Scholar
Fontes, J-C, Gasse, F, Gibert, E. 1996. Holocene environmental changes in Lake Bangong basin (Western Tibet). Part 1: Chronology and stable isotopes of carbonates of a Holocene lacustrine core. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclomatology, Palaeoecology 120(1):2547.Google Scholar
Herzschuh, U, Winter, K, Wünnemann, B, Li, S. 2006. A general cooling trend on the central Tibetan Plateau throughout the Holocene recorded by the Lake Zigetang pollen spectra. Quaternary International 154–155:113–21.Google Scholar
Hou, J, Huang, Y, Brodsky, C, Alexandre, MR, McNichol, AP, King, JW, Hu, FS, Shen, J. 2010. Radiocarbon dating of individual lignin phenols: a new approach for establishing chronology of late Quaternary lake sediments. Analytical Chemistry 82(17):7119–26.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hou, J, D'Andrea, WJ, Liu, Z. 2012. The influence of 14C reservoir age on interpretation of paleolimnological records from the Tibetan Plateau. Quaternary Science Reviews 48:6779.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Huang, X, Chen, F, Fan, Y, Yang, M. 2009. Dry late-glacial and early Holocene climate in arid central Asia indicated by lithological and palynological evidence from Bosten Lake, China. Quaternary International 194(1):1927.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Liu, X, Dong, H, Rech, JA, Matsumoto, R, Yang, B, Wang, Y. 2008. Evolution of Chaka Salt Lake in NW China in response to climatic change during the Latest Pleistocene-Holocene. Quaternary Science Reviews 27(7–8):867–79.Google Scholar
Liu, X, Dong, H, Yang, X, Herzschuh, U, Zhang, E, Stuut, J-BW, Wang, Y. 2009. Late Holocene forcing of the Asian winter and summer monsoon as evidenced by proxy records from the northern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 280(1–4):276–84.Google Scholar
Long, H, Lai, Z, Wang, N, Zhang, J. 2011. A combined luminescence and radiocarbon dating study of Holocene lacustrine sediments from arid northern China. Quaternary Geochronology 6(1):19.Google Scholar
Lu, Y, Wang, X, Wintle, AG. 2007. A new OSL chronology for dust accumulation in the last 130,000 yr for the Chinese Loess Plateau. Quaternary Research 67(1):152–60.Google Scholar
Mischke, S, Zhang, C. 2010. Holocene cold events on the Tibetan Plateau. Global and Planetary Change 72(3):155–63.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mischke, S, Zhang, C, Börner, A, Herzschuh, U. 2010. Lateglacial and Holocene variation in aeolian sediment flux over the northeastern Tibetan Plateau recorded by laminated sediments of a saline meromictic lake. Journal of Quaternary Science 25(2):162–77.Google Scholar
Mischke, S, Weynell, M, Zhang, C, Wiechert, U. 2013. Spatial variability of 14C reservoir effects in Tibetan Plateau lakes. Quaternary International 313–314:147–55.Google Scholar
Morrill, C, Overpeck, JT, Cole, JE, Liu, K-B, Shen, C, Tang, L. 2006. Holocene variations in the Asian monsoon inferred from the geochemistry of lake sediments in central Tibet. Quaternary Research 65(2):232–43.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Opitz, S, Wünnemann, B, Aichner, B, Dietze, E, Hartmann, K, Herzschuh, U, Ijmker, J, Lehmkuhl, F, Li, S, Mischke, S, Plotzki, A, Stauch, G, Diekmann, B. 2012. Late Glacial and Holocene development of Lake Donggi Cona, north-eastern Tibetan Plateau, inferred from sedimentological analysis. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 337–338:159–76.Google Scholar
Pachur, H-J, Wünnemann, B, Zhang, H. 1995. Lake evolution in the Tengger Desert, Northwestern China, during the last 40,000 years. Quaternary Research 44(2):171–80.Google Scholar
Shi, Q, Chen, F-H, Zhu, Y, Madsen, D. 2002. Lake evolution of the terminal area of Shiyang River drainage in arid China since the last glaciation. Quaternary International 93–94:3143.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stein, M, Migowski, C, Bookman, R, Lazar, B. 2004. Temporal changes in radiocarbon reservoir age in the Dead Sea-Lake Lisan system. Radiocarbon 46(2):649–55.Google Scholar
Stuiver, M, Polach, HA. 1977. Discussion: reporting of 14C data. Radiocarbon 19(3):355–63.Google Scholar
van der Plicht, J, Hogg, A. 2006. A note on reporting radiocarbon. Quaternary Geochronology 1(4):237–40.Google Scholar
Wang, X, Lu, Y, Zhao, H. 2006a. On the performances of the single-aliquot regenerative-dose (SAR) protocol for Chinese loess: fine quartz and polymineral grains. Radiation Measurements 41(1):18.Google Scholar
Wang, X, Lu, Y, Wintle, A. 2006b. Recuperated OSL dating of fine-grained quartz in Chinese loess. Quaternary Geochronology 1(2):89100.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wang, Y, Shen, J, Wu, J-L, Liu, X-Q, Zhang, E-L, Liu, E-F. 2007. Hard-water effect correction of lacustrine sediment ages using the relationship between 14C levels in lake waters and in the atmosphere: the case of Lake Qinghai. Journal of Lake Sciences 19:504–8 In Chinese with English abstract.Google Scholar
Wu, Y, Lücke, A, Jin, Z, Wang, S, Schleser, GH, Battarbee, RW, Xia, W. 2006. Holocene climate development on the central Tibetan Plateau: a sedimentary record from Cuoe Lake. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 234(2–4):328–40.Google Scholar
Wu, Y, Li, S, Lücke, A, Wünnemann, B, Zhou, L, Reimer, P, Wang, S. 2010. Lacustrine radiocarbon reservoir ages in Co Ngoin and Zigê Tangco, central Tibetan Plateau. Quaternary International 212(1):21–5.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yang, X, Rost, KT, Lehmkuhl, F, Zhenda, Z, Dodson, J. 2004. The evolution of dry lands in northern China and in the Republic of Mongolia since the Last Glacial Maximum. Quaternary International 118–119:6985.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yang, X, Zhang, K, Jia, B, Ci, L. 2005. Desertification assessment in China: An overview. Journal of Arid Environments 63(2):517–31.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yu, S-Y, Shen, J, Colman, SM. 2007. Modeling the radiocarbon reservoir effect in lacustrine systems. Radiocarbon 49(3):1241–54.Google Scholar
Zhang, H, Ma, Y, Wünnemann, B, Pachur, H-J. 2000. A Holocene climatic record from arid northwestern China. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 162(3):389401.Google Scholar
Zhang, H, Wünnemann, B, Ma, Y, Peng, J, Pachur, H-J, Li, J, Qi, Y, Chen, G, Fang, H, Feng, Z. 2002. Lake level and climate changes between 42,000 and 18,000 14C yr BP in the Tengger Desert, Northwestern China. Quaternary Research 58(1):6272.Google Scholar
Zhang, H, Peng, J, Ma, Y, Chen, G, Feng, Z-D, Li, B, Fan, H, Chang, F, Lei, G, Wünnemann, B. 2004. Late Quaternary palaeolake levels in Tengger Desert, NW China. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 211(1–2):4558.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zhang, H, Ming, Q, Lei, G, Zhang, W, Fan, H, Chang, F, Wunnemann, B, Hartmann, K. 2006. Dilemma of dating on lacustrine deposits in an hyperarid inland basin of NW China. Radiocarbon 48(2):219–26.Google Scholar
Zhang, J-F, Liu, C-L, Wu, X-H, Liu, K-X, Zhou, L-P. 2012. Optically stimulated luminescence and radiocarbon dating of sediments from Lop Nur (Lop Nor), China. Quaternary Geochronology 10:150–5.Google Scholar
Zhao, Y, Yu, Z, Chen, F. 2009. Spatial and temporal patterns of Holocene vegetation and climate changes in arid and semi-arid China. Quaternary International 194(1):618.Google Scholar
Zhou, A-F, Chen, F-H, Wang, Z-L, Yang, M-L, Qiang, M-R, Zhang, J-W. 2011. Temporal change of radiocarbon reservoir effect in Sugan Lake, northwest China during the late Holocene. Radiocarbon 51(2):529–35.Google Scholar
Zhu, L, Wu, Y, Wang, J, Lin, X, Ju, J, Xie, M, Li, M, Mäusbacher, R, Schwalb, A, Daut, G. 2008. Environmental changes since 8.4 ka reflected in the lacustrine core sediments from Nam Co, central Tibetan Plateau, China. The Holocene 18(5):831–9.Google Scholar